The Perfect Essential Oils for Summer

Although summer can be filled with exciting activities for both you and your family to enjoy, too many hours in the sun, traveling from place to place, an increasing number of insects, and the unexpected stresses that come along with summer can have harmful effects on the body.

The good news is, that having the right essential oils for summer on hand can help us overcome any obstacle!

Heal the skin

Extra exposure to the elements is something we face when enjoying the summer breeze and sunshine. Essential oils can help with sunburn and skin damage caused by the wind and other harsh elements.

Start by using enriching carrier oils such as coconut oil, cocoa butter, and aloe vera gel. In addition to those, you can add any combination of the following oils to the mixture.

Skin healing essential oils:

Palmarosa is used extensively in skin care due to its hydrating and antiseptic properties. It can also help balance sebum production for all types of skin. But most importantly, it’s presumed to stimulate cellular regeneration in damaged skin.

Carrot Seed is recognized as one of the most revitalizing essential oils for the skin, mostly due to its nourishing and purifying effects it has on the liver. This cellular regenerative ability for both the skin and liver, provide the ultimate nourishment for any multitude of skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis, rashes, and wrinkles).

Rock Rose is renowned for its skin healing abilities, especially if you suffer from eczema or psoriasis. Its astringent and antiseptic properties are well documented and come highly recommended for acne and oily skin. It can also aid with over exposure to the sun.

Say goodbye to insects

Along with the summertime rain and long summer days, come more time for insects to be out and about!

Insect repellents are a must-have during the summer months. With Lyme disease carrying ticks and Zika infected mosquitoes, it is important to protect yourself from becoming infected.

Keep these pesky critters away with a combination of any of the oils listed below. Try mixing your essential oil with water and aloe vera gel, to help it disperse easier throughout the water.

Oils to repel insects:

Patchoulihas been used throughout Asia for centuries as an insect repellent. It is also used as a perfume, which is a great way to keep the moths away.

Eucalyptus Citriodora is a eucalyptus species whose leaves give off a lemony, citrusy odor when crushed. This scent has been used in South Africa as a natural bug repellent for many years.

Cedarwood is another essential oil that is obtained from the wood, sawdust, and shavings of the slow growing evergreen. Its woody, balsamic aroma has been used to repel insects for centuries, and was used extensively in building closets to keep moths away!

Cure the body

The joy of experiencing new cultures can be a blast, but the stress and strain that come with traveling can cause a disruption within our bodies. Keeping the following essential oils on hand can help you glide through even the worst of delays and upsets!

Oils for emotional support:

Sweet Orange is a wonderful essential oil to lift the spirits and encourage happiness. Its brightening fresh, sweet, citrusy fragrance will cleanse away any negativity. It’s also a great oil to have on hand when eating new and exotic foods since it also serves as a digestive tonic!

Cardamomis a very old spice. The essential oil extracted from the seeds of this plant provide a refreshing tonic to the weary traveler. This oil’s warming, sweet, and spicy aroma make it a perfect companion when traveling from place to place. Its gentling effects on the nervous system help with digestion and make it a perfect oil to carry along with you as you travel.

Geranium has the ability to relieve tension and stress by having a soothing, more regulating effect on our nervous system. Geranium instills feelings of comfort and aids in relaxing the body, as well as easing irritability and frustration!

Cary Caster is the spirit of 21 drops®! For as far back as she can remember, Cary has felt a strong connection to plants and nature. From the orange trees she loved to climb as a child in Miami to the desert scrub of the Utah wilderness she explored as a teenager, Cary was never one for staying cooped up indoors.
It was no surprise to Cary’s friends and family that she embraced her passion for nature in her professional life. She majored in horticulture at the University of Florida, went on to pursue her graduate studies in ethnobotany at Lehman College, and managed the Rare Plant House at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, the largest tropical botanical garden on the continental United States. She furthered her education, earning academic and clinical degrees in anatomy and physiology and eventually moved to Europe to earn her certification as an Aromatherapist from the Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Aromatherapy in the UK as well as her Advanced Clinical Certification from Essential Oil Resource Consultants in France. It was during this time that she became truly fascinated by the transformative and healing powers of essential oils.
Cary used this knowledge to raise her three children in a natural and healthy home. Never treating them with antibiotics or over-the-counter medications, she created her own natural, first-aid-kit of custom-made therapeutic oil blends for pain, colds, allergies and other childhood ailments She used essential oils to help them get up in the morning, to calm them during times of stress, and to inspire and focus them to do their best each day.
Today, not only is Cary the founder and expert behind 21 drops®, but she shares her devotion to healing by sitting on the board of the Alliance of International Aromatherapists and has been featured as an essential oil expert in the Huffington Post, Vanity Fair and Martha Stewart Living, among others. Cary offers continuing education classes in Aromatherapy at the University of Miami’s iCAMP program, and throughout the country.